Recognizing the Contributions of Healthcare Heroes
Nursing is a profession that requires passion, dedication, and commitment. Nurses work tirelessly to provide care, comfort, and support to patients and their families, often going above and beyond their duties to make a difference in people’s lives.
International Nurse Day, celebrated on May 12th every year, recognizes the contributions of these unsung heroes in healthcare and raises awareness about the challenges they face.
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has declared that the greatest threat to global health is the workforce shortage.
To mark International Nurses Day, the ICN launched its 2023 International Nurses Day toolkit.
It’s #InternationalNursesDay!
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 12, 2021
Today, we #SupportNursesAndMidwives by celebrating their bravery, kindness, and dedication 💐
Elizabeth Iro, WHO Chief Nursing Officer, takes us through her journey on becoming a nurse and what it means to be a nurse. Who is your favourite nurse? pic.twitter.com/QtQF0x8frb
The toolkit is designed to help nurses, healthcare providers, governments, and international organizations turn global strategies into meaningful local actions, with the aim of improving clinical practice on the ground.
The toolkit looks at the four policy focus areas of the WHO Global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery: 2021-2025, the WHO State of the World’s nursing, and the International Centre for Nurse Migration’s working for Sustainability and Retention of nurses in 2023 and Beyond.
It provides practical guidance required by multiple stakeholders for effective realization of their aims.
The ICN President, Dr Pamela Cipriano, emphasized the importance of taking real action to address workplace safety and protect nurses.
She stated that nurses have given their all in the fight against COVID-19, Ebola, in disaster areas, and in war zones.
Despite this, they continue to face understaffing, lack of protection, heavy workloads, and low wages.
Howard Catton, the ICN Chief Executive Officer, expressed concern over the fact that not enough is being done to protect nurses and other health workers.
He highlighted the fact that the scale of the world-wide nursing shortage is one of the greatest threats to health globally.
Look at Indian PM Tweet Shows His Gratitude for Nurses
International Nurses Day is a day to express gratitude to the hardworking nursing staff, who is at the forefront of fighting COVID-19. Their sense of duty, compassion and commitment towards a healthy India is exemplary.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 12, 2021
He called on governments to urgently prioritize investment in nursing and the health workforce, proportionate to its importance for the future of societies everywhere.
The IND report also focuses on two vitally important strategic priorities: investing in and prioritizing the safety of health care workers and caring for the health and well-being of nurses.
The report highlights the risks to and lack of protection of the nursing profession. It presents evidence of underinvestment in nursing, globally.
The ICN has referred to the combination of factors leading to an increased burden on the nursing workforce as the COVID Effect.
The pandemic has put an extra burden on health systems and the nursing workforce, with healthcare workers, especially nursing staff, being more likely to be exposed to offensive behaviors, including sexual harassment.
Health workers represent less than 3% of the global population, but they represented around 14% of COVID-19 cases. In the United States, rates of violence from clients against healthcare workers were estimated to be 16 times higher than any other service profession.
The theme for International Nurse Day 2023 is “Nurses: A Voice to Lead – A Vision for Future Healthcare.”
International Nurse Day was first celebrated in 1965 by the ICN, a federation of national nursing organizations that represents over 27 million nurses worldwide.
The purpose of International Nurse Day is to highlight the important work of nurses and to encourage more people to consider nursing as a profession.
In conclusion, nursing is a vital profession that plays a critical role in the healthcare system.
International Nurse Day celebrates the contributions of nurses and highlights the challenges they face, including understaffing, lack of protection, heavy workloads, and low wages.
It is essential to invest in nursing and prioritize the safety of healthcare workers to ensure safe, secure, economically successful, and equitable societies.
The 2023 International Nurses Day toolkit provides practical guidance to multiple stakeholders to take real action on the ground, turning global strategies into meaningful local actions.
